Nutrient Expert Development and Assessment
This project aims to (1) develop, test, and refine new versions of Nutrient Expert (NE) for new crops and new geographies in Asia and Africa, (2) conduct field trials and build agronomic database for non-cereal crops (e.g. cotton, cassava), and (3) initiate development of ICT based tools to help in the dissemination of the field validated versions of NE.
IPNI-2010-GBL-52
13 Feb 2012
2011 Annual Interpretive Summary
This study was started in 2010-11 to evaluate through local partners the Nutrient Expert for Hybrid Maize (NEHM) in farmers’ fields in Indonesia and the Philippines, and to develop, test, and refine new versions of Nutrient Expert (NE) for maize in new geographies (China, South Asia, and Africa) and NE for wheat in China and South Asia. Nutrient Expert for Hybrid Maize (NEHM)—developed in 2009 for favorable, tropical environments—has been adapted for maize growing conditions in South Asia, China, and Africa. NEHM recommendations were tested in farmers’ fields (plot size ≥0.1 ha) against farmers’ fertilizer practice (FFP) in Indonesia and the Philippines. Nutrient Expert for Wheat has been developed for winter wheat for South Asia and for winter wheat and spring wheat for China. Beta versions of NE wheat and NE maize are currently undergoing field testing and evaluation by regional IPNI and local partners in China, India, and Africa (Kenya and Zimbabwe). NE recommendations are tested against state recommendations (SR) and farmer’s fertilizer practices (FFP). Development and evaluation of NE is conducted jointly with local partners and stakeholders.
During the 2010-11 maize cropping season, results from 22 farmers’ fields across five sites in Indonesia showed that NEHM increased yield by 0.9 t/ha, which increased profit by USD 270/ha over FFP. Compared with FFP, NEHM recommendations reduced fertilizer P (-4 kg/ha), increased fertilizer K (+11 kg/ha), and did not significantly change fertilizer N. In the Philippines (with data from 31 fields across seven sites), NEHM increased yield by 1.6 t/ha and profit by USD 379/ha compared with FFP. Compared with FFP, NEHM gave higher rates of all three nutrients (+25 kg N/ha, +4 kg P/ha, and +11 kg K/ha), which substantially increased fertilizer costs (USD 64/ha) but still increased profit by about six times the additional investment in fertilizer. In 2011, beta versions of NE maize have been developed for South Asia, China, and Africa. CR-01